Kathy Reichs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kathleen Joan Reichs | |
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| Born | 1950 Chicago |
| Occupation | Forensic Anthropologist Novelist Professor |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Crime |
Kathleen Joan "Kathy" Reichs (pronounced /ˈraɪks/[1]) is native of Chicago and works as a forensic anthropologist, an academic, and bestselling writer of mystery novels. She is a Professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, but is currently on indefinite leave.[2] She divides her time between work for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Québec. She is one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology[3] and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Her schedule also involves a number of speaking engagements around the world.
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[edit] Academic career
- 1971, B.A. in anthropology from American University
- 1972, M.A. in physical anthropology from Northwestern University
- 1975, Ph.D. in physical anthropology from Northwestern University
She has taught at Northern Illinois University, University of Pittsburgh, Concordia University, McGill University and is currently the Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.[4]
She has appeared in Rwanda to testify at the UN's Genocide Tribunal.[5] She has assisted Dr. Clyde Snow and the Foundation for Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology in an exhumation in the area of Lake Atitlan in the highlands of southwest Guatemala. She was a member of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team assigned to assist at the World Trade Center disaster.
[edit] Academic papers
- Quantified comparison of frontal sinus patterns by means of computed tomography. Forensic Science International 1993 Oct;61(2-3):141-68.
- Effect of age and osteoarthritis on bone mineral in rhesus monkey vertebrae. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 1993 Aug;8(8):909-17.
- Forensic anthropology in the 1990s. The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 1992 Jun;13(2):146-53.
- Treponematosis: a possible case from the late prehistoric of North Carolina. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 1989 Jul;79(3):289-303.
- Cranial suture eccentricities: a case in which precocious closure complicated determination of sex and commingling. Journal of Forensic Science 1989 Jan;34(1):263-73.
- Ontogenetic plasticity in nonhuman primates: I. Secular trends in the Cayo Santiago macaques. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 1987 Jul;73(3):279-87.
[edit] Academic books
- Forensic Osteology: Advances in the Identification of Human Remains (1986)
- Hominid Origins: Inquiries Past and Present (Editor) (1983)
[edit] Novels
In addition to technical books on Anthropology and Forensics, Kathy Reichs has written ten novels to date, which have been translated into 30 languages.[6] Her first novel, Déjà Dead, won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.
The fictional heroine in her novels, Temperance "Tempe" Brennan, is also a forensic anthropologist. Her lifestyle closely mimics that of her creator. A good portion of the novels is based on real life science. Most of the techniques used and technology mentioned are things that Kathy Reichs uses in her real life job. The blood spatter analysis used in Deadly Decisions, for instance, is directly from her job. In the novel Grave Secrets she uses her experience from her visit to Guatemala to enhance the story. Reichs has said herself that she didn't want her character to be perfect and chose to give Temperance some history.
| Title | Published | ISBNs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Déjà Dead | 1997 | Paperback: ISBN 0-09-925518-9 | Won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel |
| Death du Jour | 1999 | Paperback: ISBN 0-09-925519-7 | |
| Deadly Decisions | 2000 | Paperback: ISBN 0-09-930710-3 Hardback: ISBN 0-434-00820-6 |
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| Fatal Voyage | 2001 | Paperback: ISBN 0-09-930720-0 Audio CD: ISBN 1-85686-927-X |
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| Grave Secrets | 2002 | Paperback: ISBN 0-09-930730-8 Audio CD: ISBN 1-85686-928-8 |
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| Bare Bones | 2003 | Paperback: ISBN 0-09-944147-0 | |
| Monday Mourning | 2004 | Paperback: ISBN 0-09-944148-9 | |
| Cross Bones | 2005 | Paperback: ISBN 0-09-944149-7 Hardback: ISBN 0-434-01040-5 Audio CD: ISBN 1-85686-985-7 |
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| Break No Bones | 2006 | Hardback: ISBN 0-434-01042-1 Paperback: ISBN 0-434-01544-X |
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| Bones to Ashes | 2007 | Hardback: ISBN 978-0434014620 | |
| Devil Bones | 2008 | Hardback: ISBN 978-0-7432-9438-6 |
[edit] Television
A 2005 FOX television series, Bones, is inspired by Reichs' life and writing.[7] The series borrows the name of the books' heroine, Temperance "Bones" Brennan. As in the books, Temperance (Emily Deschanel) is a forensic anthropologist. She moonlights as an author, writing about a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs. The TV series does not tie in with the book series. It includes a cast of new characters and while the books are all set in either North Carolina or Montreal, the television series is based in Washington, D.C.
Reichs appeared in an episode of Bones, Judas on a Pole, in which she played Professor Constance Wright, a forensic anthropologist on the board performing Zack Addy's Thesis Defense.[8]
